


waiting, waiting, waiting for you

by vending_machine



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Angst, M/M, Prostitution, Rape/Non-con Elements, Slavery, warning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-04
Updated: 2015-02-04
Packaged: 2018-03-10 13:12:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3291536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vending_machine/pseuds/vending_machine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>WARNING!! rape/non-con/violence/prostitution!!<br/>PLEASE BE WARNED!!!!</p>
    </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING!! rape/non-con/violence/prostitution!!  
> PLEASE BE WARNED!!!!

_I’ll definitely come back for you! So wait for me until then, promise!_

Kuroko’s face was smashed into a floorboard as the client behind him violently pushed into him. Despite the pain from the aggressive treatment, he barely made a sound as a rough hand wrapped around his hair and lifted him up, an arm locking around his neck for good measure as he was used like a ragdoll.

“ _Fuck yeah,”_ the man panted into his ear, “you dirty little slut. You like it like this, don’t you? Fucking whore. Being used by me, for whatever the fuck I want, whenever I fuck I want it. Fuck. Yeah. I’m… _coming_. Fuck.”

Kuroko closed his eyes as the man stiffened up behind him and heat poured out and into him. He was let go of and flopped face first back onto the floorboard, wincing as his head knocked against the wood with a dull thud.

“ _Ha_ ,” the client laughed roughly, vaguely out of breath as he stood and Kuroko heard the sound of a belt buckle being done up. He felt a glob of wet land between his shoulder blades as the client spat on him with another dark chuckle. Footsteps padded to the door and it slammed behind the stranger and Kuroko finally let out a sigh of relief.

Rolling over, he stared up at the dingy ceiling of his half of the room, hearing the groans from the other side of the curtain that cut the room in half. With a wince, he got up and headed for the small basin in the corner, rinsing off the sweat and bodily fluids before going to lie back down on the bed to wait for his next ‘customer’.

But as he tried to turn himself blank again, to wipe all thoughts from his head, to retreat to his safe place where he felt nothing, that voice rose up again and obliterated his false-peace.

_I’ll definitely come back for you_.

A warm, passionate, _convinced_ voice. One that Kuroko missed almost desperately, despite his best interests. Kagami-kun had been his roommate up a while ago, as they’d both worked towards paying off their debt. Kuroko was paying off his parent’s debt, since they had died three years or so ago and left him with it all without his knowledge. He’d been pulled into prostitution to pay it off, and forced into this brothel where his body was taken four or five times a night by strangers. He’d been doing this since he was sixteen, and he wasn’t sure how old he was anymore. It had been more than three years though, that he was certain. And he had paid of half of his debt. So by the time he was twenty-three, he thought, he would probably be free. Maybe.

Kagami-kun had somehow appeared a year ago, and stayed by his side for about six months until the male had managed to pay off his own debt and was set free. Kuroko had been happy for him, pleased the male was out of the pain that had been his life- their lives. And it had been exactly 73 days, or 264 customers, since the male had left with his promise to come back.

Kagami-kun had always looked after him when he’d become Kuroko’s roommate. They hadn’t spoken for the first week, Kagami-kun too hot-headed and strong, so most of his customers left with bloody noses, if not worse. Until Matron, their owner, had started to send in some of the other customers, either those who liked pain, or those who got their rocks off on dominating a large, powerful male and didn’t care if they got hurt in the process. So Kagami had been forced into this dark lifestyle, such a proud man in a bad place dominated by those tripping on their own power.

One night, Kagami-kun had been left unconscious by one of his ‘customers’, and since Kuroko was then free he’d hesitantly ventured under the curtain and tended to the red-headed male’s wounds. Kagami-kun had woken midway through, but not moved an inch, even when he realised the person was helping him and not a ‘client’. So he had let Kuroko tend to his wounds, and they had talked in whispers until the next evening when more customers arrived and they had been forced apart.

That had continued for another couple of months. Kuroko would tend to Kagami’s wounds when he was needed, and in return Kagami would provide some respite from the heaviness on Kuroko’s heart. He’d also tend to the blue-eyed boy’s injuries, as well as helping him wash and so on when he was too battered to do so. It hadn’t mattered that they were always naked in front of one another, they both had had the shame of their bodies beaten out of them long ago, not that Kagami had had anything to be ashamed of. The redheaded male had been Kuroko’s idea of perfection. Not that he’d ever been able to voice his opinion.

 Three months in, one night they had just been holding each other, Kuroko’s client a particularly rough one who had bruised him in more places than usual, even whilst refraining from splitting his skin, but leaving him unable to move very well, and Kagami had kissed him. Kuroko had been shocked. Not so much at the kiss, but at the fact that it hadn’t repulsed him. So he and Kagami had started to hesitantly exchange touches and kisses, though neither of them ventured anywhere near sex. Kuroko had decided a month after that he wouldn’t mind if it was Kagami-kun, but the constant strain on their bodies left them with little ability to do anything. And Kagami-kun had never indicated he was interested in taking anything further, so Kuroko had left it alone, content with just the other male’s company.

And then, one night, Kagami had announced that he would have paid off his debt the following day. Kuroko was left heartbroken and lonely, if relieved that he wouldn’t have to hear the grunts of pain from his companion anymore. Every single one of them had always hurt Kuroko more than his own wounds. But he was too small, too powerless to do anything to help the larger male, other than tend to his wounds as best as he could.

Kuroko sighed as the next male walked into his room, pulling him out of his reminiscing. This guy was a regular and Kuroko knelt on the bed and bent over, already knowing exactly how this would go down. It was short, fast, with the male moaning out some female’s name, clearly in denial. Kuroko didn’t mind him for he wasn’t rough or violent, just found his release, thankfully using a condom, and left.

So less than fifteen minutes later the male left and Kuroko was left alone for the night. Washing himself out in the other cold showers they could use when they had long periods of time free, Kuroko trudged back to his bed and shut his eyes, willing himself into sleep. Memories of red eyes tinged with a warm sadness took him under and followed him into slumber.

\--------

Kuroko eventually lost track of time as more men came, used him and left. It had been 365 days, a full year and then some since Kagami had made his promise to come back, and despite himself he’d lost all hope at day 200.

His current client was much more violent than most. Kuroko tasted blood as he was backhanded, and it filled it mouth as he was left unable to swallow, pressure on his windpipe cutting off all air and ability to do anything. His vision flickered, but he wondered why he was trying to focus, to stay awake, when he had nothing to wait for, nothing to live for anymore. He’d long since realised that even if he ever did get out, he wouldn’t have a place in society. What place would there ever be for a used whore? What was even the point anymore? Unsure, Kuroko stared blankly at the ceiling as his vision started to dim, and lost the last of himself into the darkness.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Kagami felt his heart break as he paced outside the hospital door to the room where the man he loved lay on the brink of death. Kuroko had been used so badly, would have been killed if Kagami hadn’t burst into his room when he had. He’d finally,  _finally_  managed to get enough spare money to pay off Kuroko’s outstanding debt, to pay the Matron to let him take the other boy home, to have set up a place for the blue-eyed boy in the world.

But it looked like it was far too late. Kuroko was almost gone. The lines of pain, of weariness, of loss were etched into the smaller boy’s face and Kagami cursed himself for the millionth time that it had taken him over a fucking year to scrounge up the cash. He could have done it before then, through loan sharks and the like, but Kagami had been desperate to make himself legit, to provide a safe, stable home for Kuroko when he could eventually take the other boy. So he’d worked several part-time jobs, barely sleeping just so he could earn. It had been a miracle he’d even been able to get the jobs he had, but with a lot of manual labour and begging and degrading himself – not that he could have done that much further after his stint in the whorehouse – he’d worked himself to the bone. And it looked like it would all be for nothing.

He rested his head against the wall, feeling tears, so rare, so impossible, track hotly down his cold face. He didn’t know what to do anymore. If Kuroko didn’t pull through… Kagami wouldn’t have any reason to live either. The only reason he’d kept going was for the other male.

“Kagami-san?” the nurse exited the room and murmured his name softly.

“Yes?” Kagami replied, his voice a little hoarse.

“He’ll be okay.”

Kagami fell to his knees as relief flooded him. “Really?” he whispered.

“Really,” the nurse nodded, her face sombre but warm. “He’s been badly injured, we’ll have to keep him sedated and asleep for about a week at this rate. He’s suffering from severe malnutrition and dehydration, and it will take him a while to recover. But he should wake up in a couple of weeks.”

Kagami closed his eyes in relief. “Thank god,” he whispered, suddenly too tired to keep his head up.

“I’ll have another bed set up in his room,” the nurse said softly, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “So you can stay by his side as long as you need to.”

“Thank you,” Kagami murmured, unable to convey the sheer depth of his gratitude through words. “Thank you.”

She shook her head. “It’s my job,” she replied softly, before turning and heading down the corridor, leaving Kagami staring at the floor, unable to gather the strength to move in his sheer relief.

\--------

Kagami kept vigil over Kuroko for the next two weeks, only leaving to prepare his apartment for Kuroko and to go to the two part-time jobs he’d kept of his five, to keep funds coming in for the two of them. He only hoped Kuroko would accept him after so long.

It was at midnight, fifteen days after he’d been admitted that Kuroko’s eyes finally opened.

He saw nothing but grey, and knew nothing but that he was no longer in his room in the brothel. Looking around, he was confused to see machinery beeping at him and sterile white everywhere. A hospital?

What on earth? Kuroko’s last memories were of a forearm around his neck, cutting off his oxygen. And him just giving in, willing to give it all up if he was going to be alone forever.

He frowned as his left hand felt heavy. Looking down, another tanned hand was wrapped around his, providing warmth and comfort. Kuroko’s heart skipped a beat, he’d know those hands anywhere. They’d tended him when he was hurt, held him when he needed comfort, shown him that not every touch had to be painful.

“K-Kagami-kun?” Kuroko’s voice rasped awfully, but at the quiet sound the other male’s head whipped up from where he’d been half-sleeping, half-resting with his head on the edge of Kuroko’s bed.

Red eyes met blue in the dim light and Kuroko suddenly felt the pieces of his shattered heart come together to some extent.

“Kuroko,” the deep voice murmured, and both of them ignored the way it broke on the last syllable. “You’re awake.”

“What happened?”

“I… I came to get you,” Kagami whispered, “but… but I was too late. So I brought you to the hospital, and you’ve been here for two weeks now.”

“My debt?”

“I paid it off,” Kagami replied, and Kuroko felt his entire world stop. “I’m sorry it took me so long. I’m so, so sorry Kuroko. I wanted to come back for you so many times. I almost did, almost came barging in to steal you. But I knew if I did that we’d both be in so much more trouble. I struck a bargain with Matron when I left that if I could bring the money to pay off your debt she’d release you to me. But it was more than I’d thought and it took me a while to get started…”

Kuroko shook his head, hand clenching weakly around Kagami’s. “Please don’t apologise,” he begged quietly, his own voice choked. “You… you did all of that for me?”

Kagami nodded, pressing Kuroko’s hand to his forehead as he squeezed his eyes shut. “I told you I would come back for you. I… I am truly sorry it took so long.”

“No,” Kuroko felt the tears start, hot and fast. He shakily wiped them away, surprised at how hard it was to stop. He hadn’t cried since he’d been first sold. “You fulfilled your promise. That’s… that’s more than I ever dreamed of, before I met you.”

Kagami moved up and used his free hand to also wipe away the tears coming thick and heavy. “I’ll always be here for you, Kuroko.”

Kuroko nodded against his hand, closing his eyes briefly. “I’ll always be there for you too, Kagami-kun. As long as you will have me.”

Kagami shook his head, pressing a soft kiss to Kuroko’s hand. “I’ll never let you go, unless you want to. But please don’t want to. Stay with me, Kuroko.”

Kuroko nodded as best as he could. “I’ll stay,” he whispered, a soft promise in the dark room.

They sat like that for a long time, until the soft rays of dawn started to filter through the curtains, casting light and shadows across the hospital room. Kuroko’s eyes started to close but he jerked awake again in a panic, not wanting to fall asleep and lose anything again.

“Shh,” Kagami murmured, hands gently squeezing Kuroko’s. “I’ll stay here, like this, until you wake. I promise, Kuroko. So sleep, and get better for me.”

Kuroko stared at Kagami for a long moment, before closing his eyes with a sigh. He didn’t know what would happen after this, what would become of the two of them, how they would survive in the long run, but he knew that as long as he had Kagami-kun by his side, he felt safe. And he believed in the other boy, with everything in him. So no matter what happened, he’d trust in this other boy, and his promises. Sleep took him under with the warm comfort of knowing that he was no longer alone, that he had a place in the world again, as uncertain as it might be.

He had someone who would stay by his side forever, and that was more than he’d ever had, and he was sure it was the only thing he’d ever need.

**Author's Note:**

> ugh
> 
> i'm so stressed rn  
> all I write is depressing stuff...
> 
> I hope you enjoyed (?) it, or at the least were moved by it? idk. ugh. sorry? I am sorry. precious babies. but at least they had a happy ending?
> 
> kudos/comments always appreciated <3


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